


Never Have I Ever, But Maybe I Will

by pepperchoni



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Bi Archie, Bucket List, F/F, F/M, M/M, Never Have I Ever, cheryl is emancipated, cheryl is innocent af, choni, idk where this is going, jason is dead
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-21
Updated: 2019-10-12
Packaged: 2020-07-10 06:20:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,116
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19901209
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pepperchoni/pseuds/pepperchoni
Summary: During a game of 'Never have I ever', Cheryl realizes that she literally hasn't done anything. Toni helps her cross things off her bucket list.





	1. Never have I ever made a bucket list

“Gather round people, we’re playing ‘Never have I ever’!” Kevin yelled, standing on top of one of the tables in the Pembrooke.

Cheryl, who was currently sitting next to Toni on one of the couches, just rolled her eyes. She had spent most of her evening just talking to Toni, instead of getting wasted like the rest of her friends. She wasn’t really the party type and had only shown up because a certain serpent was also in attendance.

Ever since the serpents had joined Riverdale High, the HBIC and the shorter girl had been practically inseparable. They had bonded over their love for a band the first time they met and had spent most of their time since, together. On the rare occurrence that the two weren’t hanging out, the redhead seemingly still couldn’t get Toni out of her head. If she was being honest with herself, she had a huge crush on the serpent. Not that she would ever admit that. After all, she was pretty sure that Toni was straight, since she’d only ever talked about ex-boyfriends. So, Cheryl willed herself to push her feelings into a little box in the back of her mind, and to just cherish the newfound friendship.

Her thoughts were interrupted by someone pulling on her sleeve. “Come on, Cher. It isn’t a real party if you don’t play ‘Never have I ever’!” The girl who had been consuming her thoughts exclaimed excitedly. Nobody had called her ‘Cher’ since Jason. Nobody dared to. Everybody thought that she was some kind of fragile porcelain vase that would break at the mere mention of her deceased brother. But Toni didn’t know about Jason. She didn’t know about the breakdowns Cheryl had had the first few months after her twin’s tragic death. Well maybe she did know, but at least she didn’t treat Cheryl any differently. And maybe the redhead didn’t mind the warm feeling she got in her stomach after hearing that nickname leave her crush’s lips.

Knowing she couldn’t say no to Toni’s smile, the redhead got up from the couch and followed the shorter girl to the table where most of her friends were already seated, ready to play.

“Alright guys, the rules are quite simple, if you’ve done the thing in question, you drink. If you haven’t you judge the others in silence. Now, let the games begin!” Kevin exclaimed dramatically. “Calm down, Shakespeare,” Fangs laughed at Kevin’s antics before continuing, “guess I’ll start. Never have I ever made out with somebody of the same sex.” All the girls, except for Josie and Cheryl, drank and surprisingly, Fangs and Kevin weren’t the only guys that had to take a drink. “Archie, you…?” Betty asked incredulously. “Oh, come on Betts, I saw you drink too. Besides, there’s nothing wrong with experimenting.” He answered smugly, looking over at Kevin, who suddenly had a heavy blush on his cheeks.

“Anyways,” Josie tried to alleviate the awkwardness, “my turn. Never have I ever stolen anything.” All of the serpents, as well as Veronica and Reggie drank.

“Ok, my turn,” Reggie looked around smugly, “never have I ever thought about sleeping with somebody in this room.” Cheryl was so embarrassed that she had to take a sip of her drink that she didn’t even realize that every single one of her friends also had to drink.

The game went on, until Reggie and Veronica had gotten so drunk that they were practically making out in front of everybody. “This is my cue to go.” Cheryl announced into the group, though she wasn’t sure if anyone had even heard her. Suddenly the serpent next to her got up. “Same, it’s getting late anyway. I’ll walk you to your car, Blossom.” Toni said with a small smile on her face. “Sure,” Cheryl felt the butterflies in her stomach multiply because of the fact that Toni had even noticed her talk.

***

“Do you think I’m lame?” Cheryl asked once the two girls were safely in her car. “What do you mean?” Toni could see that Cheryl was self-conscious, but was genuinely confused by the question. The blush on the redhead’s face started to reappear, as she tried to explain what she meant. “Well, I was the one who had to drink the least during the game and, I don’t know, I just feel like all the others have had so much fun in their lives and I’m just, well, me.” She looked down bashfully before she felt Toni’s hand on her chin, trying to get her to look at her.

“For the record, I think you’re the least lame person out of everyone that was at that party.” Toni felt like her heart was about to burst because of how adorable Chery looked, with that little smile and the heavy blush on her face. “And, you don’t have to feel any pressure to do anything that you don’t want to do, just because your friends have done it, you know?”

As much as Cheryl appreciated the serpent’s heartfelt words, she felt the need to explain further. “I know that but like, I want to.” Suddenly, a look of understanding washed over Toni’s features. “In that case,” she started with a mischievous grin, “you need a bucket list and an amazing friend to execute it with. Luckily for you, it looks like you’ve already found the best person for the job.” Toni pointed at herself dramatically, which made Cheryl let out a loud laugh. And even though her heart stung at the word ‘friend’, the redhead was more than willing to spend some extra time with Toni.

Toni, realizing that she had the other girl’s attention, continued, “so you go home and write down a list of things that you’ve never done and that you want to do with me. I’ll write down some of my own, but don’t worry, you won’t have to do anything you don’t want to do, alright?” Once Toni was done explaining, Cheryl nodded as if to say she’d got it.

Looking at the clock, Toni leaned over the center console of Cheryl’s car and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “Now, drive safely, and text me when you get home, alright?” Cheryl felt herself blush once again, cursing her pale skin for being so revealing. “Yeah, you too, please. Bye, Toni.” Toni send her a wide smile before answering, “you got it, Blossom,” closing Cheryl’s car door and making her way over to where her motorbike was. She left the parking lot, blowing a kiss to the redhead.

Once Cheryl had regained her composure, she started her engine and made her way to Thistlehouse.

After a short ride, mostly used to think of things to put on her bucket list, Cheryl arrived at her house and took out her phone to text Toni.

**Cher:** Made it home safely.

She went up to her room, careful not to wake Nana Rose and got ready for bed. Once in bed, she noticed a notification on her phone.

**TT:** gr8. me too. sweet dreams, Cher <3

**Cher:** Thank you, to you too, TT. <3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, this is like the second fanfic i've ever written and English isn't my first language so excuse the limited vocabulary hahah  
> (follow me on twiter if u want to @pepperchoni)


	2. Never have I ever been skinny dipping

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> choni cross the first things off their bucket list. cheryl's got trauma. toni is cute.

Cheryl was sat in English class, when she heard the bell ring, signalling that her school day was finally over. She’d made plans to meet up with Toni at her locker, so she was packing up her things as fast as she could, eager to see the serpent, although they had sat together at lunch. She felt like she could spend every waking moment with Toni, without getting bored. And although she was sure that Toni would eventually get tired of her, she tried to stay positive and just enjoy the time she did get to spend with the shorter girl.

When Cheryl reached her locker, Toni was already leaning against it, looking at something on her phone. Cheryl decided to use the opportunity that Toni wasn’t paying attention to look her up and down. Toni was wearing some black ripped jeans, a flannel tied around her waist, and a see-through black mesh shirt, that didn’t leave much to Cheryl’s imagination. Of course, she was also wearing her leather serpent jacket, that Cheryl found _extremely_ hot. She was practically drooling when her thoughts were interrupted by somebody talking to her.

“Like what you see, Blossom?” Toni looked smug, while still leaning on Cheryl’s locker, “you were totally staring.”

A heavy blush rose to Cheryl’s cheeks because of the fact that she had been caught. “I was just looking at my locker and thinking about something.” _Yeah, thinking about how good you look in that outfit and how you’d probably look even better without it._ The blush on her cheeks darkened even more at that thought.

“So, have you thought of that bucket list thing we talked about?” Toni changed the subject, noticing how uncomfortable Cheryl seemed.

Cheryl nodded, while putting her books in her locker. Suddenly, she got an idea how to cross off the first thing on her bucket list, and smiled.

“Never have I ever ridden a motorcycle.”

Suddenly, a look of realization washed over Toni’s features. “Absolutely not! You’re not riding my bike. It’s way too dangerous!” Toni sounded like an overprotective mom, which made Cheryl chuckle.

“Come on, TT. You ride it every day and you’re fine.” She tried to reason with the shorter girl. “That’s different,” Toni said, this time in a quieter voice, “I don’t want _you_ to get hurt.”

As much as Cheryl appreciated Toni’s concerns, she really wanted to, for once in her life, throw caution to the wind, and just do something fun. “Alright,” she started, knowing that Toni wouldn’t budge, “what about a compromise? **Never have I ever been on a motorcycle** , you know, as a passenger?” Cheryl looked at Toni with a hopeful look and a small pout, “Come on, I trust you.”

Knowing that she couldn’t resist the redhead’s pout, Toni finally gave in. They made their way to Toni’s bike and she handed Cheryl a helmet, before warning her, “You’ve got to hold on tight, alright? I really don’t want you to like, fall off the bike or something.” Cheryl nodded, blushing at the thought of being pressed against Toni.

Once Toni drove out of the parking lot, and onto the main road, she heard Cheryl squeal excitedly. Perhaps it was the fact that she’d made the redhead happy, or maybe just the close proximity of her and Cheryl’s bodies, but all of Toni’s fear and anxiety suddenly dissipated, as the two girls sped down the road.

***

Cheryl’s stomach dropped as she saw the sign that said ‘Sweetwater River’. She’d thought that they were headed to Pop’s, but it seemed as if Toni had spontaneously changed her mind. When they came to a stop near the shore, they got off the bike, taking off their helmets.

“I thought we could spend some time outside, instead of always going to Pop’s.” Not getting a response, the serpent continued, “wow, is my driving that bad that it’s left you speechless, Blo- “Toni abruptly stopped talking when she saw Cheryl’s face. The redhead looked like she’d seen a ghost and was on the verge of crying. “Cher, you okay?”

Cheryl couldn’t hear her though. Being back at the river had triggered something in her. She felt like she was 16 again, standing on the frozen ice, in the middle of the river, just wishing to finally put an end to her suffering and be reunited with her brother. Back then, all she had wanted was someone to talk to. Somebody that would be there for her. She’d wished for it so many times. But she was always alone. That’s when it dawned on her. She opened her eyes, and she wasn’t alone. She had Toni now.

Suddenly, she was thrown back into reality and she realized that Toni had asked her a question. “Yeah, I’m fine. It’s just,” Cheryl thought about how to explain, but as she heard her mother’s voice in her head, she decided against it, “nothing, never mind. It’s stupid, I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize, it’s obviously not stupid, if it’s bothering you. What is it?” Toni took out a blanket from her trunk and plopped down on top of it. She padded the space next to her, looking up at the redhead.

Cheryl took a seat next to the serpent. “It’s just… this place.” She said, finally.

Toni looked as confused as ever. “Oh, you don’t like it here? We can go someplace else.” Not wanting Toni to think that she did something wrong, Cheryl answered a bit too hastily, “no, I like it here. It’s just that I haven’t been back here since…” She trailed off, not knowing if she could finish that sentence without breaking down.

Truth is, she’d thought about going back there all the time. She wanted to go back. Not only to finally leave that dark part of her past behind, but also because she’d always felt closer to Jason when she was at Sweetwater River. They used to go there every weekend when they were kids. It’s where Jason taught Cheryl how to swim. It’s where she’d said good bye to her beloved brother, not knowing that it would be the last time they ever saw each other. If she did, maybe she wouldn’t have let him go, or maybe, she would have gone with him.

After a long silence, Cheryl opened her eyes and saw Toni looking at her with the most genuine look. And with that perfect reminder that she wasn’t alone, Cheryl decided to finish her sentence. She was tired of that chapter in her life still having power over her. Plus, she trusted Toni with her life. “I haven’t been here since I tried to commit suicide after Jason’s death.”

Suddenly she felt Toni’s hand on her face, wiping her tears away. “I’m so sorry, Cher. I should’ve asked you if you wanted to come here, I didn’t know. We can just go somewhere else, if you don’t want to be here, or we-“ “Relax, Toni,” Cheryl cut the shorter girl off, “I’m okay. I was in a dark place back then, but I’m better now. I’ve got friends, I’m not alone anymore.” She felt a warm hand interlock with hers. “I don’t even know why I’m crying, it was a really long time ago. This is so embarrassing, sorry.”

“Would you stop apologizing when you didn’t do anything wrong?”

“It’s just, there’s people that have it way worse than me, and here I am crying over something that happened a year ago. I feel stupid, you know? Because after all this time, this place still affects me like that,”

Carefully wiping away every tear from Cheryl’s cheeks, Toni looked up into her eyes with a serious look. “Cheryl, the fact that other people are also in pain, does not invalidate your feelings. It’s completely normal to not be over it. Especially if you haven’t come back here since. And,” she continued, “you’re not stupid. You’re like the smartest person I know.”

Cheryl now had a small smile on her lips and as another tear left her eye, she opened her mouth, another _‘I’m sorry’_ at the tip of her tongue, before hearing Toni warn, “don’t you dare apologize, Blossom!”

The two girls sat there, on the shore of Sweetwater River, just holding hands for a while, neither saying anything, not wanting to break the comfortable silence.

“You know,” Cheryl finally decided to break the silence, feeling much better with Toni by her side, “I could use some new memories here. Something on your bucket list that could help with that?”

Toni smiled, as she thought of something cute that could cheer Cheryl up. “Uhm, how bout, never have I ever known how to skip rocks?”

“That’s lame. I was thinking more along the lines of, **never have I ever been skinny dipping** ,” Cheryl exclaimed shyly, “but sure, skipping rocks it is.”

“NO!” Toni practically yelled, shocked that Cheryl would even suggest that, “I mean, no. If you don’t want to do that, I’m up for skinny dipping.” Cheryl laughed at Toni’s obviousness, but as soon as she thought about the actual activity they were about to do, her face took on dark shade of red. Sensing Cheryl’s hesitation, Toni assured her, “only if you want to, of course. And we can go in underwear, since it’s the middle of the day and I don’t want some creepy dude or something to see me naked.” Cheryl relaxed at those words, relieved at the thought of not having to expose herself completely but still getting to spend time with Toni.

Overcome by a sense of confidence, Cheryl took of her thin sweater, leaving her in only her skirt and her bra. “Well,” she said, as Toni didn’t move a muscle, visibly staring, “aren’t you coming?”

“ _I wish_ ,” Toni muttered under her breath, before taking off her clothes as well. Toni was trying her hardest to take her eyes off the redhead, not wanting to make her uncomfortable, as well as resisting the urge to make a joke about how it looked like Cheryl had bathed in bleached, with how pale she was. “What was that?” Cheryl asked, not having heard Toni’s innuendo. The latter just laughed and made her way towards the water. “Last one in the water is a loser.”

Cheryl, with her competitive spirit, reached the water before Toni, but the serpent couldn’t even be mad about losing because of how happy and carefree Cheryl looked. Finally reaching the water, Toni decided to get back at Cheryl by splashing some water in her direction, making the taller girl laugh loudly. When Cheryl returned the favor, Toni let out a loud gasp, “oh this is how it’s gonna be? It’s on, Blossom!”

Thus started a splashing war between the two girls, though it was accompanied by a lot of laughter, from both sides. After a while, Cheryl was laughing so much that she had to take a breather, so she held up her hands and yelled, “I surrender!”

Neither girl had noticed how close they had gotten and, once they had stopped splashing water at each other, a heavy blush crept up to Cheryl’s face at how close they were standing. Their laughter subsided as they looked into each other’s eyes. Cheryl could’ve sworn she saw Toni glance at her lips, but that was probably just her imagination.

The pink haired serpent just stood there admiring the redhead’s beauty, unable to move, as Cheryl came closer. Toni had no time to collect her thoughts as Cheryl finally closed the distance with a bone crushing hug. “Thank you, TT.”

Between Cheryl’s practically naked body pressed flush against hers, her soft voice whispering into her ear, and the smell of Cheryl’s shampoo filling her nostrils, Toni felt like her senses were on overload, which prevented her from answering until Cheryl detached herself from her. “What for?” she asked, as she tried to regain her composure.

“For the new memories.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, so I can't upload a lot bc of work and stuff but I hope u like it!  
> Follow me on twitter if u want to :) (@pepperchoni)
> 
> SIDENOTE: why is Cheryl always scared of being on Toni's bike in fanfics??? she badass af


	3. Never have I ever kissed a girl

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> another party. there's drug use. c and t are awkward (but cute)

Friday night usually meant a party at the Pembrooke. Luckily for Cheryl, this Friday it was just a small get-together with their friend group, instead of the whole student body of Riverdale High trying to squeeze into Veronica’s living room. She was currently sitting on one of the couches, her legs draped over Toni’s who was talking to Betty. A sudden sense of gratitude washed over her as she looked around the room and realized that, for the first time in her life, she had found real friends… well, some of them at least. She was glad that she wasn’t spending her Friday nights alone, locked up in her room, anymore. The group had been waiting for Reggie to arrive with the alcohol, since he was usually the one to somehow obtain it, but he was met with a few confused faces when he came into the room empty handed.

“Relax guys,” he shrugged as he made his way to sit next to his girlfriend. “We drink booze every weekend, so I thought we could switch it up a bit.” He pulled out a green canister, with a sticker of a marijuana leaf on top. “It’s the good stuff!”

Cheryl could admit that she was innocent, but she didn’t live under a rock and obviously knew what weed was. She’d never tried it, though. Not because she didn’t want to, but because she’d never really had friends to do it with. Come to think of it, she was curious about what it felt like, and wasn’t at all opposed to the idea of trying it.

She took a deep breath as she looked around the room, analysing her friends. Next to her, Fangs was sitting on an armchair, aimlessly scrolling through his phone while subtly throwing glances Kevin’s way. Reggie was rolling a joint and chatting with Veronica, who looked way to excited at the prospect of getting high. On the couch next to theirs, Kevin and Archie were talking passionately about something, the sexual tension palpable, Cheryl thought.

Betty was sitting on the floor, talking to Toni about photography. Cheryl could see the way Toni’s eyes lit up, talking about the topic and she thought that if she were to die at that very instant, that if her last moments were spent looking at Toni Topaz’ perfect smile, she would die happy.

As her conversation with Betty came to a close, the serpent felt eyes on her and turned around to see Cheryl seemingly lost in her own world. “Whatcha thinkin’ ‘bout, Blossom?” Toni asked curiously.

This seemed to shake Cheryl back to reality as she scanned the shorter girl’s face before answering, “haven’t crossed anything off my bucket list in a while.”

“Well,” Toni started, a smirk plastered on her face, “now’s as good a time as ever. Tell me something off your bucket list and we’ll do that.”

Cheryl thought for a moment and as she took another look around the room, it hit her. “ **Never have I ever smoked weed.** ”

Clearly not expecting that answer, Toni raised her eyebrows at the redhead. “Alright then, Cher. I can show you how to, if you want?”

Cheryl just nodded at Toni as she saw Reggie light the blunt and take a hit before passing it over to Veronica, who did the same.

As the blunt made its way around the group and came closer to the couch she and Toni were sitting on, Cheryl suddenly got nervous. She didn’t want to embarrass herself in front of her friends. In front of Toni. All her worries dissipated though when she looked at Toni’s reassuring smile, hearing her whisper, “only if you want to, Blossom.”

When the blunt finally reached them, Toni took a drag first, inhaling deeply with her eyes closed before slowly letting the smoke out of her mouth. Cheryl felt a weird sensation travel through her body while watching Toni. Nobody seemed to be paying attention to them, which Cheryl found crazy because Toni looked _so hot_ right now.

Her thoughts were interrupted when Toni handed her the blunt with a smirk. “So basically, all you have to do is inhale deeply and take in a little bit of air too, to make sure you aren’t just leaving the smoke in your mouth, ok?”

Cheryl nodded as she placed the joint in between her lips and inhaled deeply. Maybe a bit too deeply as she felt a burning sensation in her throat and started to cough heavily. If nobody was paying attention to them before, all eyes were now trained on her, as she finally managed to come down from her coughing fit. Toni handed her a glass of water, with a sympathetic smile. “It’s fine. We probably all choked the first time.”

If the heavy blush on Cheryl’s face was any indication, she was very embarrassed and just wanted everybody to stop looking at her, though nobody seemed to be judging her. Wanting to prove herself, she lifted the joint up to her lips again, but was stopped by Toni.

“Hold on,” she grabbed the joint from Cheryl’s hands, before explaining, “what if we shotgun instead? It’ll be easier.” Seeing Cheryl’s clueless expression, she continued, “Come her I’ll show you, just follow my lead.”

Toni moved Cheryl’s legs off her own, so that both girls were now facing each other. She placed her hand on Cheryl’s thigh and leaned in closer.

Cheryl, overwhelmed by the sudden closeness, and confused as to what exactly was happening, just sat there, unable to move. And when Toni whispered a ‘ _do you trust me_?’, she could only nod.

Cheryl watched as the serpent took the end of the blunt into her mouth, taking a long drag. She lowered the blunt, without blowing out the smoke and got even closer to Cheryl.

Instinctively, Cheryl opened her mouth and when Toni’s lips and hers were practically touching, she blew out the smoke into the redhead’s mouth. The intimacy of this whole act, coupled with the fact that Toni’s mouth was just a few inches away from hers, made Cheryl feel like she was already on some kind of high.

Toni moved away from Cheryl, who blew out the smoke without choking, though their eyes didn’t leave each other until Veronica interrupted the moment. “Well, that was hot!” Cheryl’s blush returned as she passed the blunt onto Fangs.

They continued passing the blunt around and talking about the most random things. Toni didn’t suggest to shotgun again, not wanting to cross any boundaries. That left Cheryl having to actually smoke on her own, which was _way_ less fun.

***

“Cher?” Toni nudged her, “wanna get outta here?”

They were still sitting on the couch, just listening to music. Reggie and Veronica had disappeared a while ago, Archie and Kevin were making out on the couch, and Fangs and Betty were both in the kitchen, eating chips and talking about the universe.

Cheryl felt weirdly light, as if maybe she wasn’t that much of a burden. She heard _idfc_ by Blackbear playing and she shivered as she felt the vibrations from the loud speakers travel through her body. Cheryl glanced at Toni, who was looking back at her expectantly and answered, “where do you want to go?”

“Follow me, Bombshell.”

Toni took Cheryl’s hand in hers, leading them off the couch and out the living room, through another door and up the stairs onto the roof. They sat down on the floor and looked up at the sky, their hands still intertwined.

It was a clear night, so the stars were visible and as Cheryl looked up at them, she was reminded of her brother. Before Jason’s death, they’d always had a tradition of going stargazing on their birthday. They would have dinner at Pop’s and then convince him to let them go up to the roof, though there wasn’t much convincing to do as Pop had always liked the Blossom twins. The two redheads would sit down on Pop’s roof, look up and make 2 wishes each, one for themselves and one for the other. On the last birthday they had spent together, Jason had wished for Cheryl to finally realize that she’s enough. That was also the day she had come out to him. The only person she’d ever felt comfortable enough with to come out.

After a few minutes of silence, Cheryl finally decided to speak up, “I want to cross something off my bucket list.”

“You just did,” Toni answered, her eyes still trained up, looking at the stars.

“I know, I mean something else… something I’ve been wanting to do for a while but didn’t really know how and when, I guess.”

At that, Toni turned her head to look at Cheryl with a curious smile, “Ok then, shoot.”

Cheryl looked down at her lap, then at her hand that was still holding Toni’s. She took a deep breath before finally looking back up into the serpent’s eyes, that now had a hint of worry in them.

 **“Never have I ever come out to anyone other than my brother.”** She felt Toni’s hand squeeze hers tighter, as realization washed over the serpent’s features. “I think I like girls.”

“Oh okay, thanks for telling me. Only girls? If you don’t mind me asking.” Toni had a genuine smile on her face and Cheryl felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

“Uh, how do I know?” Toni smiled at Cheryl’s innocence before clearing her throat, taking out an imaginary pen from her pocket and pretending to be a detective.

“Cheryl Blossom, have you ever felt anything romantic for a guy?” Although she had to laugh at Toni’s theatrics, she had to really think about that question. She’d kissed Archie but that was more because of her parents, not really because she actually wanted to. She’d never felt anything other than platonic feelings for him. So, she shook her head to answer Toni’s question.

“Alright,” Toni pretended to write it down on her imaginary clipboard, “could you imagine ever liking a guy, _like that_?”

“Hmm… no, I don’t think so.”

“Interesting,” the serpent said, making the redhead giggle at how ridiculous she was being. Toni thought that Cheryl giggling had to be the cutest sound on the planet. Nothing could compare to Cheryl giggling.

“Last question, Blossom, could you imagine ever having sex with a guy?”

Cheryl did not have to think twice before shooting out in disgust, “ew Toni, no!” The serpent threw her head back as she let out a loud laugh.

“Yeah okay, I think you might be a lesbian. You don’t have to label yourself though, if you’re not comfortable with that.”

There was a long silence between the two and for a moment Toni thought she might have said something wrong, but then Cheryl spoke up again. “How do I know for sure that I like girls?”

“Well, think about all the questions I just asked you but replace ‘guy’ with ‘girl’ and then you’ll probably have your answer. That’s how I figured it out.” Toni shrugged, not realizing how shocked Cheryl looked.

“Wait, you’re gay?”

“Bi, actually. but yeah, I always thought that I was jealous of pretty girls, until I realized I didn’t want to be them, but to be with them, you know?” She looked over at the redhead who looked like she had just learned what the meaning of life was.

“Hm,” she pondered, “I guess, I really am a lesbian, then. But I’d probably have to kiss a girl to be sure, right?” She looked at Toni almost daringly. The latter gulped loudly, quietly mumbling a _‘yeah, I guess’_.

Cheryl smirked at how, for once, she wasn’t the one that was blushing. Maybe it was the weed or just the dopamine that was flowing through her brain after coming out, but she inched closer to Toni until she was close enough to feel her warm breath against her lips. “Toni, never have I ever,” she glanced up into the serpent’s eyes that were staring down at her lips, “craved Oreos so badly!” Cheryl finished her sentence, falling back onto her back. Toni let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding.

“Cher,” she chuckled, “you’re experiencing what is known as the munchies. Let’s go get you something to eat, cutie.”

***

“What’s on your mind?” Toni asked, interrupting the comfortable silence that had reigned since they’d gotten into bed. They had left Veronica’s pretty late, so Cheryl had told Toni to just sleep over at her house, since they had driven to the Pembrooke together. It was in situations like these that Cheryl was really glad to have been emancipated from her mother. Penelope would never have let Cheryl invite a girl over, especially not a serpent. That would simply be too _deviant_ , wouldn’t it?

The lights in Cheryl’s bedroom were dimmed so she could only make out parts of Toni’s face when she looked over at the girl. “You know, about the whole me liking girls thing, could you like… not tell anyone?” Cheryl didn’t know why she was still embarrassed to say it out loud. She knew that being gay wasn’t wrong, she wasn’t homophobic or anything, she just couldn’t bring herself to not feel disgusting. It was probably the years of torment she had to endure from her mother, as well as the abuse from her father, but every time she thought about being gay, she just felt wrong. Of course, those thoughts flew out the window when she was close to Toni, and all she could think about was how it would feel to touch or kiss her. It’s like there was this little voice in her head telling her that it’s wrong, but Toni somehow managed to mute that voice whenever she was around.

“I would never, ever, out anyone, Cheryl.” Toni reassured her, finding Cheryl’s hand under the covers, that she squeezed to emphasize her honesty. “But you do know that everyone would be okay with it, right?”

“Yeah, I just…” Cheryl trailed off, looking embarrassed but continuing when she saw the look of genuine concern in Toni’s eyes, “what if I’m not actually into girls, you know? Like yeah sure I find them hot and stuff, but I’ve never actually kissed a girl, how do I know that it’s not just a phase, or my imagination, or something.”

“Well then, kissing a girl sounds a lot like a bucket list item.” Toni suggested jokingly, trying to lighten the mood a bit.

“Hmm, what like, **never have I ever kissed a girl**?” Cheryl asked, a hint of hopefulness in her voice.

“Yeah exactly, if you want to, I can help you, uh, find a girl you might like? I know a few gay girls on the Southside.”

“I thought the bucket list was something we were supposed to do together?”

“Oh.” Toni said, as a wave of realization hit her, “O H”

Cheryl, grateful that Toni couldn’t see the blush on her face, and thinking that she’d probably overstepped, tried saving herself. “No, I mean if you don’t want to, that’s fine, I was just thinking like, uhm, since we’re here and—”

“No, no, yeah, no, I get that.” Toni interrupted Cheryl’s rambling, trying to make sure that Cheryl knew she did not want to reject her or anything. “Besides, who am I to prevent you from fulfilling your bucket list? Plus, I’d get to kiss a pretty girl, so really it would be a win-win.”

At that, Cheryl scooted closer to Toni, who was holding her breath in anticipation. They laid like that for a while, just looking at each other, or at least at what they could actually see of each other’s faces. Toni’s hand slowly went up to the redhead’s face, as she moved even closer to her. When their faces were close enough for the other to feel their breath, Toni stopped leaning in, to make sure that Cheryl hadn’t changed her mind. But it seems Cheryl was done waiting, as she instinctively put her hand on Toni’s waist and leaned in until their lips finally met. She didn’t know how to describe the feelings she felt as she finally came into contact with the serpent’s soft lips. It was like someone was squeezing her heart, but in a good way. Like that feeling you get when you’re at the top of a rollercoaster and you know it’s about to go down, but you’re somehow never prepared for it anyway and when it finally happens you just want to let out all the adrenaline by screaming. That’s what Cheryl was doing. Screaming inside. Because for the first time since Jason’s death, she felt whole again. And she never wanted to stop kissing Toni. _Like ever._

When the two girls separated, Cheryl felt like she was in a daze. Like although she’d gotten high a few hours prior, she was on a new high all over again. She opened her mouth to say something but no words came out.

“Would you want to go to Pop’s with me tomorrow?” Toni asked, looking nervous, like she hadn’t just made out with the redhead.

“Yeah, sure.”

“No, I mean like a date? We don’t have to tell anyone that it’s a date, since you’re not out and all. Unless I’ve entirely misread this situation and you don’t actually want to go on a date and that’s completely fine, we can just like hang out.”

“Toni, stop.” Cheryl chuckled at Toni’s rambling, “I would love to go on a date with you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!  
> Sorry i literally took like 10 years to update this, i've been busy with moving & school stuff ((and i didn't really feel like writing, oops))
> 
> How'd you like the first episode of season 4? i think it might be my favourite episode of the whole show. 
> 
> Thanks for reading! Follow me on Twitter, if u want (@ pepperchoni) :)


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